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JULY 13, in the Wells Fargo Center, Jaron Ennis laid a beating on David Avanesyan. Returning home to Philadelphia, now under the guidance of loquacious UK promoter Eddie Hearn and his powerful Matchroom brand, Ennis appears to be finally reaching the point of his potential.
Reigning as the IBF welterweight champion, ‘Boots’ was supposed to defend his belt against Canada’s Cody Crowley, even going so far as engaging in a spiky press conference to publicise what would have been a solid world-level battle.
Crowley withdrew due to a long-running eye complaint. Avanesyan stepped up and tried his best (landing a few decent shots, which the detractors noted), yet the Armenian was sent packing in five rounds.
All Ennis needed was a suitable platform to display his talents and an appropriate dance partner with whom to go to war. The future seemed bright until a potential spanner was forcibly introduced by the IBF, in the form of a mandatory move, unwanted by fighters, promoters and fight fans in general.
Only Karen Chukhadzhian and his team (the potential next mandatory challenger and former Boots victim) would be pleased with such a suggestion. Failing the Karen revisit, who else could Ennis hunt down?
One name closely linked over recent weeks is Brian Norman Jr. Norman’s father of the same name, himself a former fighter, has been vocal about making the fight. Young Brian is unbeaten but has shown flaws since signing with Top Rank until a bloodied battering of Giovani Santillan -picking up a fringe belt in the process- flipped opinion of his world-level ceiling.
That said, Norman Jr. previously had his hands full with Janelson Bocachica. The Georgian was dropped for the first time, they engaged in a foul-filled, bloody affair.
In light of this mixed form, it remains to be seen how much he has to offer Ennis in terms of a credible test capable of extending Jaron into the later rounds. Eddie Hearn said he is still in discussions with the relevant parties, so this one could still be made.
Looking further afield for potential foes, Eimantas Stanionis has made it clear that he would entertain a fight with ‘Boots’. The Lithuanian has suffered from long spells of inactivity, which didn’t impact his form too much while returning to the ring with Gabriel Maestre.
Since extracting himself from the claws of the PBC, Stanionis revealed in a recent tweet that he was none too happy with the terms proposed by Eddie Hearn regarding an Ennis unification encounter. Not only is he free to negotiate terms, but the WBA welterweight champion is also free of his ongoing dalliance with Vergil Ortiz Jr.
ARLINGTON, TX – APRIL 16: Eimantas Stanionis celebrates after defeating Radzhab Butaev at AT&T Stadium on April 16, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
Our final name, which might appear slightly unrealistic, seeing as he has moved up to 154, is Terence Crawford. Embarking on what is likely the final chapter of an illustrious career, ‘Bud’ has his eyes on risk/reward offers balanced more to the latter.
Crawford won the super-welterweight world title at the first attempt, defeating Israil Madrimov at the start of August. Given his unbeaten opponent’s added weight and underrated skills, it was understandably more difficult than some expected.
While he would be happy to move up and take on the money-spinning cash cow that is Canelo, undisputed title collector Crawford would surely not drop back down in weight to accommodate a dangerous young challenger for a comparatively meagre purse.
Therefore, Ennis would need to drop his title and move up, triggering a pursuit. Before the Chukhadzhian complications, that seemed unlikely. Now, it is more feasible.
Terence Crawford lands his right hook on Errol Spence (Getty Images)
Ennis is not the only young gun scraping at the door for a fight, as the WBO ordered Crawford to face Sebastian Fundora. As Crawford will already realise, like many champions before him, there is always the “next guy” in line waiting for a chance to knock the kingbird off his perch.
Jaron Ennis is prowling, waiting for a chance to be that feathered predator.
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